Ed Stoppard's Rome

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Because visually and historically, it's so arresting, so remarkable a place. I love walking around and coming across something made before the birth of Christ, and is still there, but has been accommodated into centuries of later development. It's a quite extraordinary city.

ANYTHING SPECIAL I SHOULD PACK?

Comfortable walking shoes because one of the great attractions of Rome for me is that it's a relatively compact city, so you can pretty much walk across it, in essence, in an hour. So leave the heels at home.

WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU DO?

I love going to the Via Giulia, a beautiful old cobbled street, which has a bridge at one end behind the Palazzo Farnese. It has long creepers hanging from it, and is the most evocative, beautiful place to stand and enjoy the city.

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO STAY?

When I first went to Rome to do a job, I was put in this terrible hotel – so the producers transferred me to the Hotel Locarno (0039 06 361 0841; hotellocarno.com; doubles from €200/£167), near the Piazza del Popolo, which has bags of character and is just like a film set.

WHERE WOULD YOU MEET FRIENDS FOR A DRINK?

I'm not much of a drinker so if I see friends, I usually arrange to meet at one of Gelato di San Crispino's (ilgelatodisancrispino.it) ice-cream parlours – the ice cream is out of this world . You can get a coffee if you want one, but I usually just want more ice cream.

WHICH IS THE BEST PLACE FOR LUNCH?

The beauty of Rome is that you can wander into a pizzeria just about anywhere and get a real Italian pizza that's thankfully worlds away from the Super Supreme I used to order at Pizza Hut as a kid.

AND FOR DINNER?

I love to go for a spaghetti alle vongole – probably my favourite pasta dish – at Sabatini (06 581 2026; ristorantisabatini.com), the restaurant in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, where it was reputedly invented. I first went there as a little pilgrimage and needless to say, it hit the spot.

WHERE WOULD YOU SEND A FIRST-TIME VISITOR?

Go to the Forum – the Foro Romano – which is the original Roman forum dating back over 2,000 years. It's astonishingly well-preserved and some of the streets are just as they were when the Romans of antiquity walked the same cobbles.

WHAT SHOULD I AVOID?

Vatican City is a bit overrated in my opinion – no offence to the Vatican. And Piazza Navona might be astonishingly famous but it is ringed by tourist restaurants with laminated menus in three different languages.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING HOME?

I bring food – usually the best Parmesan and cured meats I can find. You can also buy ice cream at the airport in special packaging that should last the flight home.

ANYWHERE THAT ISN'T YOUR KIND OF TOWN?

It has to be Moscow. While it has a fascinating history, the city as a whole is brutal. If it were a person, it would be an adolescent with an Asbo.

 Ed Stoppard stars in the UK premiere of 'The Leisure Society' at the Trafalgar Studio 2 in London (0844 871 7632; atgtickets.com/trafalgarstudios). He also stars in 'Upstairs Downstairs' on BBC One on Sunday nights until March 25.